The best kind of friendships are those that are unexpected. The bonds that were unlikely in such a way that onlookers take a second to think about them. Here is the thing with friends, they come in all ages, races, heights, weights, and so on. You can be born sharing the same bloodline, meet them half way through life, or just start as strangers sitting next to each other in class. Friendship is a beautiful concept once you think about it. You have someone to talk to, laugh with, share feelings, and share precious moments of life with. I strongly believe that with every person that comes into your life a lesson is brought with as well. This is the story of how my life has been changed forever from an unexpected friendship.
Entering college I knew no one. I had just moved here the summer before school started so all I really had was family and occasional run-ins with the neighbor’s dog. When it came to college I had no idea what I was going to major in or even if I would make it the first night away from home. The opportunity to be on the school's softball team was the only thing really keeping me going. As the school year approached I met up with my coach in her office to talk about the program. As I sat in her office she occasionally would look into the small lobby where two little girls jumped from orange tile to blue tile, eventually back to orange. After the meeting was over I waved goodbye to the girls and thought nothing of it. As the season began the two girls would occasionally show up to practices and play on the sidelines occasionally running over for high fives during our water breaks. As weeks went on the younger of the two began to become attached to my hip. She would run into me for hugs, tell me about the princesses she had recently fallen in love with or demonstrate her viewing of Hulk smashing objects.
Fall months turned into winter. With workouts starting to fall at late hours I would receive messages from my new found friend through her mother. I would occasionally get to see her at other school athletic events and those would be the afternoons that I enjoyed the most. Once I was in sight it was automatic for her to scream my name and run into my arms. Every once in a while, she would bring me drawing or pictures she colored for me. I would spend the time playing tag or hide and go seek with her. She began to call me her best friend and tell me she loved me and it genuinely made my heart happy.
The following year my coach left the school in order to be home more with her three daughters and be able to watch them grow as every mother should. As she advised us for her departure I understood I would not be seeing my little friend as often. And when the final day came and I gave her what I thought would be my last grasp I cried my eyes out. The thing with our friendship is it never disappeared. I receive random videos of her saying she misses me and loves me. Sometimes I even get the opportunity to meet up with her and surprise her. Each time is better than the last, as I watch her grow.
My advice to you is to allow yourself to have the unexpected friendships. Allow yourself to become a friend or a role model to someone younger than you. You will not regret it. Having someone admire you is like nothing else. To see their eyes light up when you tell them "good job" or that you have missed them cannot be compared to any other feeling. On the bad days, they remind you that you have something to push for, someone who will mirror your actions because they follow your every movement. Allow yourself to form unexpected friendships, they will be some of the best things in your life.
